Modern cars all come with an incredible number of technology, but, by reason of your budget or the year of your Mini Cooper, you may not be lucky enough to have them all. In this article we’re going to help you correct this concern by detailing how to install parking sensor on my Mini Cooper? Indeed, this option is extremely helpful, especially if you live in the city and have to park your car habitually in narrow parking areas. To help you out, we’ll first examine how parking sensors function, then we’ll take a look at how to install a parking reverse sensor on a Mini Cooper, and finally, how much does a parking sensor cost?
How does parking sensors work on an Mini Cooper?
So we begin with the functioning of a parking sensor. As we explained to you in the introduction, this particularl interesting option allows you to know the distance between the back of your Mini Cooper and an obstacle when you maneuver. It is therefore particularly good for drivers who have to maneuver on a regular basis, whose visibility is poor, or whose vehicle size is huge.
Often installed as standard, the reverse sensors of a Mini Cooper is made up of a set of sensors (minimum 4) that will be turned on with reverse gear and will spot obstacles in the vicinity. The technology employed is ultrasounds, which will send a signal that will bounce off the obstacle and be sent back to the sensor. A computer will analyze the duration of this journey and estimate the distance between the obstacle and the radar. Generally you will have a sound indicator in the cabin which will increase in strength with the proximity of the obstacle and in some cases a visual indicator in complement. The reversing radars of a Mini Cooper will help you for parking, but also for safety and staying away from pedestrians.
How to install parking sensors on a Mini Cooper?
We now advance to the part that you are most likely most intrigued by, fitting reverse parking sensors on a Mini Cooper. This section is for you if you don’t have a standard reserve sensor set up and you still wish to take advantage of this technology, or if you have to replace a damaged one. You are fortunate people, it is possible to buy aftermarket parking sensors to install yourself on your Mini Cooper.
How to replace a defective backup sensors on a Mini Cooper
First we’ll see how to replace a defective parking sensor on an Mini Cooper. In cases where your Mini Cooper has suffered a rear collision and one of the sensors of your reversing radar has been destroyed, it will have to be swapped out to let the system to function effectively. Thankfully for you this operation is really simple, you can even make it out yourself without any specified mechanical skill:
- Get a replacement unit radar of the manufacturer’s brand name.
- Unplug the old backup sensor from the back of the bumper.
- Take out the malfunctioned parking sensor from your Mini Cooper, this step is fairly intuitive, it is only clipped on.
- Remount the new sensor and connect it.
- All you’ll have to do is test it to make sure it’s operating effectively.
- You will just need to follow the installation recommendations, but we summarize here the main procedures.
- Take out the bumper if you don’t have access to the inside of it.
- Think about the ideal placement of the sensors to avoid blind spots, using the supplied drill bell, drill your bumper.
- Place your various sensors.
- Route the cables to the headlamp unit that contains your reverse light.
- Get the current from the wires to connect your parking sensors to this one.
- Try it all out.
- Adhere to the installation owners manual which is accessible with some electrical knowledges.
- Find the ideal sensor position, either behind the bumper for the electromagnetic reversing sensor(adhesive tape) and or the different locations of the ultrasonic sensors.
- Glue them together and connect them using the box provided.
- Test it all out.
How to install an aftermarket parking sensor kit on an Mini Cooper
Now we proceed to the section you’re most certainly most intrigued by, how to install a reverse sensor set up on a Mini Cooper that doesn’t have one? As we mentioned earlier on, you’re lucky because many of OEMs now deal aftermarket backup radar models. But, the best performing and least fragile models will be models that fit into your bumper. We will concentrate on these models in this part. It is imperative to have some notions in electricity, and some notions in do-it-yourself to contemplate the installation of the kit. You will surely have to remove the bumper of your Mini Cooper for the set up, do not hesitate to browse our content on this subject to learn the process to follow. If you don’t feel like it, you can call a specialist, the operation should take him between 1 and 2 hours, and for you around 3 hours.
Install a parking sensor without drilling on a Mini Cooper
And finally, we will now present you the installation of a drill-free parking sensors system on a Mini Cooper. There are two kind, the ultrasounds more weak because subjected to the shocks, and the electromagnetics which stick behind the bumper and which are thus protected, it does not damage your bumper and will thus be easy to remove. This kind of radar sticks on the bumper. The set up of these types of sensors will be similar.
What’s the price of parking sensors for a Mini Cooper?
Price of swapping a defective reversing parking sensor for an Mini Cooper
The replacement of a destroyed reversing radar will depend on the model, but the price will fluctuate between 10 and 30 euros per sensor. It is essential to count about one hundred euros for the installation of the kit by a specialist.
Price of an ultrasonic parking sensors with drilling for Mini Cooper
For the models with holes there are many kits and different brands but you will have to count about 50 euros for a reliable system.
Price of a parking sensors kit without drilling for a Mini Cooper
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At last, for the price of a reversing radar without drilling for your Mini Cooper, no matter what version you choose, you will have to pay between 30 and 60 euros.
To get more tips on the Mini Cooper, take a look at the Mini Cooper category.
